In the electrical industry there are numerous applications which utilize modular components wherein numerous panels or printed circuit boards or the like are employed. For example, circuit boards are now used extensively for providing a modular component system wherein selected boards can easily be removed from the system and replaced with other boards in case of any type of malfunction.
One type of circuit board that has been used extensively consists of a base portion having a plurality of spaced pins thereon, all of which are connected to various electrical components at one end thereof, and which receive mating electrical contacts for connection of another component thereto. In the formation of this type of circuit board, the spacing between adjacent pins is normally quite small and has become somewhat standardized in the industry. For example, many types of circuit boards incorporating the spaced pin concept have a common center-to-center spacing between adjacent pins on the order of 0.100 inches, while other circuit boards have a center-to-center spacing of, for example, 0.200 inches.
In various applications of circuit boards of this type, it many times becomes necessary or desirable to interconnect adjacent pairs of contacts for various purposes. Such interconnection is initially accomplished through the use of complicated DIP switches wherein a switching system is incorporated into the circuit board with various alternatives for interconnecting various contacts. After the intiial development of DIP switches, various other types of plug arrangements were developed for providing a short circuit between adjacent terminals or pins on a circuit board. For example, the Berg Division of E. I. DuPont has been marketing a jumper connector which replaces the conventional DIP switches at a reduced cost. Various other types of jumper or shunt-type connectors have been developed and are being marketed to replace the DIP switches.
It is, of course, well known that one of the cheapest methods of forming electrical contacts is the utilization of a continuous integral strip that is stamped and formed to simultaneously produce a plurality of electrical contacts. Again, a primary consideration in development of electrical contact systems is the initial cost of producing the components and the subsequent cost for assembly, both of which must be considered in the development of shunt connectors of the type under consideration.